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With George Duke on keyboards, Ralph Garrett on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums. Titles include "Momadua", "Jive Fernando", and "Blue Monk".

Joe blows it strong and mellow – in this spare swinging group that includes Frank Wess on tenor, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Jones on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums. Tracks are warm and unpressured, more in a Verve mode than a Prestige one – and titles include "Wednesday's Blues", "Jive At Five", "Taps Miller", and "Cuein The Blues".

Overall, the sound on this album's very 80s, with lots of electro and synth moments poking through, and a very disco base to the rhythm. The best example of that is the big single, "Don't Go Lose It Baby", an awesome club track, popular with the deep house heads and loft scene here in Chicago, and elsewhere too, if we're not mistaken. A number of the other tracks have the same insistent pulse, but often with a more overt African influence in the sound. Like some of Masekela's other records, his trumpet playing takes a back seat to the vocals. Also includes "The Seven Riffs Of Africa Medley", "Motlalepula", "Getting Fat In Africa", "Pula Ea Na", "African Secret Society" and "U-Dwi".

The group's second album for Jive, and a batch of 80s African tracks that have a surprisingly jazzy edge to them. The sound here is quite different from the Celluloid approach to New African grooves – a bit more soulful and standard, but with strong use of instruments in a fusiony way, one that takes the tracks past the obvious cliches, and certain pitfalls that were plaguing much African funk of the time. Titles include "Night Dance", "Suite Soweto", "African Heritage", "Joyous Sound", and "Song For All".

Steady B's second major label album, but still in the mid 80s Pop Art style, proving you don't need much more than two turntables, a drum machine and a mic to make good hip hop. Okay, maybe some fly Cazals and Fila track suit. 12 tracks in all, including "The Hilltop", "Don't Disturb This Groove", "Hold It Now", "My Benz", "What's My Name", "Funky Drummer" and "Rockin Music".

Too Short's third LP on Jive, the last one before he started becoming a parody of himself. A few tracks have the same humor as his first two Jive LPs, and it includes the hit "The Ghetto" using the classic Donny Hathaway melody, and "Ain't Nuthin But A Word To Me" with Ice Cube, plus "Punk B#tch", "Short But Funky" and the title track.

10 clean edited tracks from UGK's third LP: "One Day", "Murder", "Pinky Ring", "You Don't Know Me Fool", "Diamonds & Wood", "3 In The Mornin'", "Touched", "Ride My Car", "Good Stuff" and "Ridin' Dirty".

Tracks include "Blackman In Effect", "Ya Know The Rules", "Beef", "House Niggas", "100 Guns", "Ya Strugglin", "Breath Control II", "Edutainment", "The Homeless", "Original Lyrics", "The Racist", "The Kenny Parker Show", and "Love's Gonna Getcha (Material Love)".

At the time, KRS's best LP in a while, as he moved toward more radio and dancefloor friendy beats (And that's not a bad thing – at last he's left behind the self-indulgent style of songs like "100 Guns"). No one else could have done a better job of remaking the classic "Heartbeat", featuring Redman and Angie Martinez, and even the "Step into a World" remix with Puffy works. Don't worry, not everything is that uptempo. Other stand-out tracks include "The MC", "Real Hip Hop II", and "I Got Next."

With a few tracks produced by the Neptunes, most notably the gigantic hit "Shake Your Ass". Also includes "Danger (Been So Long)", "I'm Throwed Off", "Big Truck Boys", "U Would If U Could", "Mystikal Fever", "Ain't Gonna See Tomorrow", "Smoked Out", and "Neck Uv Da Woods".

Tracks include "Check The Rhime", "Bonita Applebum", "Award Tour", "Can I Kick It?", "Scenario", "Buggin' Out", "If The Papes Come", "Electric Relaxation", "Jazz (We've Got)", "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo", "Hot Sex", "Oh My God", "Stressed Out", "Luck Of Lucien", "Description Of A Fool", "Keeping It Moving", "Find A Way", "Sucka Ni**a", and "Vivrant Thing".

A gem of a record from Nat Adderley – filled with short soulful groovers, and done with an upbeat vibe that rivals some of Cannonball's best of the 60s! Joe Zawinul handled the arrangements, so there's definitely a strong influence here from the Cannon group – and although the players shift a bit throughout the course of the set, there's a really unified feel – thanks to a top-shelf lineup that includes Seldon Powell on tenor and flute, Ernie Royal on trumpet, Benny Powell on bass trombone, and Willie Bobo on percussion! The set features all original material by Nat – with older gems and new favorites that include "Little Boy With The Sad Eyes", "Never Say Yes, "Jive Samba", "Stony Island", "Junkanoo", and "Work Song".

Classic trumpet-heavy jive from Jonah Jones! The focus is on Jonah's gutbucket swinging style, with his trumpet up front in the mix in post-KC swing-type tunes. Things get a bit campy at times, but this pop-jazz-swing style worked extremely well for Jones and Capitol. Titles include "Moten Swing", "Lots Of Luck Charley", "Ballin The Jack", "Slowly But Surely", "Night Train", "The Blues Don't Care", and "Just A Gigolo". Sure to be a big hit with the modern swingers!

One of Quincy Jones' best for Mercury Records in the 60s – a very groovy record that was done with a feel that's somewhere in between his Big Band Bossa album and his best 60s soundtrack work! The format is simple – Quincy picks a sweet batch of jazz semi-hits from the early 60s, plays them with a nice mix of soul jazz arrangements, and works with a great ensemble filled with wonderful players – including Roland Kirk, Budd Johnson, Seldon Powell, James Moody, and Jerome Richardson on reeds; Lalo Schifrin and Patti Brown on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, Clark Terry on trumpet, and Melba Liston on trombone – plus lots of great percussion at the bottom, helping bring some Latin energy to the grooves at points. Tunes are familiar, but all given a great Quincy Jones twist – and titles include "Gravy Waltz", "Jive Samba", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Bossa Nova USA", and "Watermelon Man".

An excellent album of Latin material from Herbie Mann – and proof that he's equally great in just about any setting! The album's a rare Columbia Records outing from Herbie – but it's easily one of his greatest of the 60s, thanks to some really smoking arrangements from Oliver Nelson – plus an all-star cast of players that includes Carmell Jones, Dave Pike, Jimmy Heath, Patato Valdez, Willie Bobo, Charlie Palmieri, and a young Chick Corea on piano! Tracks are short, tight, and very rhythmic – grooving in a snapping approach to Latin that's filled with plenty of soul, but which also features plenty of jazzy touches as well. A few tunes here are familiar, but they're given wonderful new treatment by Herbie and Nelson – and the record easily beats most Verve or Impulse sessions of this type at their own game! Tracks include "Bijou", "Ave Maria Morena", "Watermelon Man", "Interlude", "Let's Boom Chitty Boom", "Senor Blues", "Jungle Fantasy", and "Jive Samba".

A killer diller of a live set from Brother Jack McDuff – a cut that burns with energy that almost beats his studio 60s classics for Prestige! The group is one of Jack's best ever – a lineup that includes the twin tenors of Red Holloway and Harold Vick, plus incredibly sharp guitar from a young George Benson, and some of the most unique soul jazz drum work you'll ever hear – courtesy of the amazing Joe Dukes. Despite their individual strengths, which might make this whole thing an ego-fest – all players fit perfectly into place on the album's hard wailing batch of groovers, and groove together with a sympathetic energy that's simply amazing! Titles include a great remake of "Jive Samba", plus "Dink's Blues", "Grease Monkey", "Passing Through", and "Vas Dis". This is the kind of thing live recording equipment was made for!

Great work from the Ohio Players – and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever!

An excellent bit of spacey club grooves from the enigmatic Rinder & Lewis team! The record has a sweet jazzy vibe that's different than some of their other records – and which seems to share equal parts influence from Kraftwerk, Larry Mizell, and Tangerine Dream. Includes the great spacey electronic track "Blue Steel", plus "Willie & The Hand Jive", "Harlem Shuffle", and "Arabella/Home".

A great early slice of Eddie Vinson – material that features him playing alto and singing, in a mode that's almost more jump and jive than later R&B!

Sweet funky 70s work from Cannonball Adderley – a record that has him revisiting older tunes from his early soul jazz years – but in ways that give them a whole new electric vibe overall! The album's actually Cannonball's last full studio set, but it's also one of his greatest too – a very hip little record that features arrangements that are slightly bigger than before – almost a CTI sort of mode, with a similar CTI sense of space, sound, and timing! There's some great keyboards on the set – courtesy of George Duke and Mike Wolff – and other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Airto on percussion, Sam Jones and Walter Booker on bass, and Louis Hayes and Roy McCurdy on drums. The keyboards lead off most numbers, but they're followed strongly by Cannon and Nat – both of whom open up wonderfully in the magical setting of the record! Titles include great new takes on "Sack O Woe", "Work Song", "Jive Samba", "74 Miles Away", "Walk Tall/Mercy Mercy Mercy", "Country Preacher", "Domination", and "This Here" – plus "Hi Fly" and "Hamba Nami".

80's reissue that brings together tracks from two different Mingus Columbia sessions – one from 1959, and one from 1971. The '71 material is the extended "Shoes of The Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers", which is one of Mingus' best works from the decade. The other tracks are shorter, and were originally presented in edited form on the Mingus Dynasty album – but they're offered here in longer versions that include the previously-edited material. Titles include "Song With Orange", "Slop", and "Gunslinging Bird".

One of the archetypal funky soul bands of the 70s – and a group whose impact is still being felt today! Of course, one of the reasons for that is Chaka Khan's incredible vocals – caught here at a prime early point, and very nicely set against some warm electric keyboards and tight groovy guitars. But another reason is the sweet funky playing of Rufus – a bit jazz, a bit rock, and pretty darn soulful right down the middle. Titles include "Jive Talking", "Sweet Thing", "Fools Paradise", "Circle", "Everybody Has An Aura", and "On Time".

A really great little set from Zoot Sims – earthy, and almost a bit more fragile than much of his other work! There's a real "down home" feel to the whole record – as Zoot blows comfortably and easily in a quartet with Dave McKenna on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums – making a rare non-Mingus appearance for the set! Zoot's horn has a bit more dirt in the tone than on some of his "cleaner" sessions – a style that we like a lot, and which really fits the feeling of the set. Titles include "Doggin' Around", "Avalon", "Jive At Five", "I've Heard That Blues", and "Goodnite Sweetheart".

Sound, space, tone, and color – a tremendous effort from trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, and a record with a really unique feel! The album features a wonderful group that includes Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Stan Getz on tenor, Gary Burton on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all coming together in a way that's extremely equally-weighted – with less of Brookmeyer as the leader, than as a warm friend, gathering together a few key players in the studio. Given that Getz worked with Brookmeyer back in the early 50s, and had Burton in his group at the time, the album's always a link between both sides of a decade in Stan's career – but with the presence of the modernists on the rhythm team, there's a sound here that's much more unique – one that has a place for Stan's wonderful tone, and Brookmeyer's airy phrasing – but which also drives along in a rhythmically pulsing mode that almost puts Burton's vibes at the top of the set on some numbers. There's a change in mood from tune to tune that gives the record a remarkable depth, but without sounding schizophrenic – and titles include "Bracket", " Wrinkle Time", "Jive Hoot", "Skylark", "Sometime Ago", and "Who Cares".

One of the stellar earlier albums from Tom Waits – with lots of slower, piano-led bluesy and jazzy ballads – on top of the jivey, gravelly charisma of his voice and songwriting. The mix of that gruff voice and the fairly pretty instrumentation is prime Waits, from this period. This is the 40s, 50s and 60s-inspired Waits at his near-finest. Includes "Cinny's Waltz", "Muriel", "I Never Talk To Strangers", "A Sight For Sore Eyes", "Barber Shop", Foreign Affair" and more.